Home for the holidays

Chapter ten-Lisa

After Ava covered my windows with black sludge I knew I needed to come up with the best prank. With the laborious task of cleaning the windows I managed to come up with an idea. My plan is to inconvenience her. Although to do this I did have to do a little instagram stalking in the hopes of finding out her schedule. She is apparently not one of those people who post their whole lives on social media which is making this plan exceedingly difficult. I need to find a time that she's not around but first I need to get some supplies. 

Getting dressed I shove on some mom jeans and a cream sweater-- tucking a bit in the side. Going downstairs, I rush to put on my ankle boots and coat before quickly leaving the house. As much as I love my family I have a prank to prepare. Pulling my coat around me more, I cross my arms around myself trying to hold the heat in as I headed to a large store just on the outskirts of town. Okay so the walk was defiantly longer then I remembered especially in the dead of winter. For some reason being a teen and doing this was easy-- however now being a twenty five year old woman not so much. It was also the teen in me that thought it would be a good idea to walk in winter of all times.

After the long trek to the shop I finally make my way in. This is the nearest 'commercial' store for miles. Entering the store I take in my surrounding realising I've not stepped foot in here for years.  Okay so when I left the house I wan't really thinking about me being out in public. Yes, I probably shouldn't feel so nervous after the party-- everyone got to see me for who I am but I still get that insecurity like people around me will know I'm not a biological woman. Which I know shouldn't matter and doesn't because I'm still a woman in every way that matters and I'm so proud of where I've come mentally and transition wise but its like when I stepped foot in this town my dysphoria stepped in too. 

***

Trying to locate what I need was rather difficult as the layout of this store has changed so much. Going down an isle I finally find what I need, standing on the shelf in all its glory is the jello mix I need. I take as many as I can carry and head over to the register. Luckily this place now has self checkout so I rush over there. Scanning the items I pay and grab a bag (paying for the bag because I'm a good citizen). Heading out of the store I can't help but feel a warm excitement wash over me at what I'm going to do. 

The walk back though laborious was a lot easier compared to the walk there. Probably because of my planning. Before I go back to my house I take a detour to Ava's. Seeing that no one is around I take a look in her mail box. Low and behold she has some mail. Internally I feel victorious as I take out each envelope quickly stuffing them in my bag. Then before anyone can see I slink over near their front door looking for a spear key. This town is so trusting I swear you could leave it in your door and no one would bat an eye let alone care. Finding the key under one of those fake rocks I also shove that in my bag as well as the elaborate bow from their wreath. Hearing a slight noise from inside I try to leave as quickly and calmly as humanly possible, overall happy with my findings. 

Going back to my house I open the door hearing the classic noises of my family. Though my brothers live in the town they always stay with us at Christmas as my mom loves the feeling of her family all around. If she had it her way we probably wouldn't have left but after college she knew that the hope of us living at home for long was in fact a sliver. Taking off my coat I hand it up shaking off any snowy residue. Then I head into the kitchen to put my plan in action. My parents were sat at the kitchen table having breakfast with my dad reading the paper. It was a classic mundane morning yet always made me feel safe and at home. If my parents are in the kitchen then my brothers must be in the other room watching TV. Deciding to get the plan in action as soon as possible I don't go in to say hi. Instead I stay in the kitchen getting out the bowls I will need to make the jello. Luckily my mom is a huge fan of baking so we have quite a few mixing bowels. For my plan to work how I want I need to use five of them. My mom is also a bit of a kitchen supply fiend-- she kinds so much extra equipment in the pantry I swear there's more pots and pans than food. 

Just as I have all the bowls lined up I get the question I've been waiting for, "Lisa sweetheart, what are you doing with so many of my mixing bowls?" My moms eyes knit together slightly in genuine concern and confusion. 

I try to think of an excuse but come up short, "... Okay so you know the other day the windows were all black. Well I didn't know Ava would have revenge on my revenge so now I need more revenge on her." 

My moms eyes widen as she looks at me, "As much sense as that doesn't make aren't you sure you want to leave it even. Also that still doesn't explain my mixing bowls." 

"For one it's not even, she still spilled coffee on my favourite sweater so it'll never been even. And two you mixing bowls are to make jello for my next prank." I turn back around to start opening the jello mix packets and put one in the first bowl before my mom can object. 

"Lisa honey do I wan't to know what this prank is? Also I got the stain out your sweater." 

"Yes thank you for that by the way, you're the best and no you probably don't want to know what the prank is. Don't worry it's nothing bad or overtly illegal just something to inconvenience her like she did me at the airport." 

"Overtly? Nope never mind I don't need to know either," My dad chimes in taking his eyes away from the paper for one second to look in my direction. 

"Thanks! You wont regret it," I quip in return-- their faces show an anxious smile as they leave me to commence my plans. 

Taking the mail I stole (borrowed she's getting it back after all) I head over to the cupboard finding some ziplock bags. She only had three letters but I decide to put them in three separate bags-- the plan is to inconvenience her as much as possible after all. Once they were packaged up I take them over to the bowls and start making the jello mix. Putting the sealed and secured letters into three separate bowls I then set them in the refrigerator to set. 

After thats done I move onto my other two items. For the keys I decide not to put them in a ziplock bag as they wont get damaged and the image of her trying to scrape jello off the indents makes me more happy than it should. Like with the letters I mix the jello together and once its at the right consistency I open the refrigerator for it to join the others. Then lastly all there is left is the bow. For this one I do put it in a ziplock bag, I'm not a monster. Again repeating the whole process and refrigerating the last jello. Closing the refrigerator I feel overjoyed with how this could pan out. I just wish I could see her face as she realises what I've done. Well I guess I could but that would include hiding in the bushes and I don't think I'm at that level of insanity yet. 

***

For the jello to fully set I had to wait four hours but as I'm looking at my jello perfectly set and ready for the prank that wait time seemed like nothing. Besides in those four hours I answered some work emails overall getting ready for the new year so in some ways you could suggest this has made me more productive.

Removing the jello from the refrigerator I grab some clingfilm so it doesn't spill all over my dads truck. After they're as covered as I can manage I gradually take two at a time to the truck. Once they're all in I turn on the engine getting ready to leave them outside Ava's house. When I'm there I head up to the front door and quickly remove the makeshift covers. Staring at my handiwork for a second, I quickly ring the doorbell before darting to my truck and driving away. I just wish I could've seen her face. 

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Thank you for reading this chapter. The next one will be up next week on Sunday.